Developer Makes Another Attempt to Purchase Village Owned Land

Here’s an update in the continuing saga of the development of the property at 2-4 Weaver Street. Developers Frederick Fish and Stephen Oder went before the Planning Board on March 16, 2010 to get a read on the Board’s views on the construction of a four-story, 30,000 square foot building to be built above the current parking lot. The proposed project would leave the restaurant parking lot as is --with apartments and resident parking above it. The developers had previously tried to buy a Village owned strip of land that is now used as the driveway to the parking lot, but bowing to pressure from residents, the Village turned them down in February 2010. With the addition of this land, the complex could have been elongated and the driveway could provide access to Weaver Street further away from the intersection at the Five Corners.

Therefore at the March meeting they presented a preliminary plan for a four-story structure that appeared to be taller than the original plans, as the building had to be shoehorned into the remaining property. Planning Board Chair Beverly Sved recommended that the developers make another attempt to purchase the land as she believed it would allow for a better design. She also said that new Board might reconsider the purchase.

On March 24, 2011, the Mayor and Board of Trustees received a letter from Oder proposing purchase of the Village-owned strip for $200,000.

In the letter they agree to limit the new structure to 10 residential units but also ask for the right to convert the existing Heathcote Tavern building to up to four residential units in the future.

Additional stipulations in the proposed agreements are as follows:

• If the Board requires them to build one affordable unit, they will seek to add two more units to the project
• The units must not be age-restricted
• The additional land should be merged with the existing lot to calculate the number of units allowed
• The façade of the Heathcote Tavern building would be substantially preserved for at least 15-years, however there can be no restrictions on the use of the building.
• In all cases, the existing parking agreement with the Village will continue.
• Last, the developers request a decision no later than April 20, 2011 and if the Village is “not interested” the developers will proceed accordingly.”

Though the letter was received on March 24, as of April 5, the Board had still not scheduled a meeting to discuss it, possibly due to the transition of the Board members and the Mayor.

If the Board does vote to sell the land they would have the right to execute an agreement without sending the matter back to the Planning Board for review.

Last year the Heathcote Five Corners Coalition organized a vocal group of concerned citizens to pressure the Village not to sell the land. They feared increased traffic and called for a moratorium on development in the area until the Village could do a comprehensive master plan for the Five Corners. Their views on the developer’s latest attempt to purchase the land are not known at this time.

Since that time the Village approved a 11,000 square foot retail building across the street from the Heathcote Tavern, but the Coalition did not object to that project. Their lack of concern about 1 Palmer Avenue is puzzling as the project includes 42 additional parking spaces, a large new store and a redirection of area traffic. However at a recent meeting about the possibility of installing a rotary at the Five Corners to ease the flow of traffic they did speak up.

It remains to be seen if the new Mayor and Board can agree on a plan before the developer’s April 20th deadline. Clearly the larger site would give the architects more space to set the building back from the busy intersection. But if the new Board cannot come to consensus quickly, Fish and Oder will proceed with a less than optimal plan.